U.S. Marine Corps... why?

Whispering Death

Active member
Simple question, why do we still have the U.S. Marine Corps when it's origional reason for being (boarding enemy ships on the high seas) is no longer relevent?
 
Harry Truman is that you?

The simpelist answer is because it is provided for in the Armed Forces Act of 1949.

The USMC provides a rapid response deployable force that can respond to trouble areas from forward deployed Naval vessels (Phibron's) in the form of MEU (SOC)/MEU's.

The Marine Corps constantly has unit's deployed in trouble areas.
 
The Marine Corps is a much needed asset. Like he said they are the quick response units and are almost always the first on the scene where crisis has struck. They are also brutes in battle and provide excellent defensive and offensive capabilities to the armed forces. Maybe we will board a ship with the Marines in the future, you just never know in these times.
 
So the answer is because the U.S. military uses the Marines are a fast deployable force? But isn't the army working on a division that can deploy anywhere in the world within 96 hours?
 
Ya but the Marines also provide support to the army, they have been the vangaurd to the Army before. The Marines are needed in the armed forces and they better stay around.
 
There is a difference between a 96 hour rapid deployment force leaving CONUS. And a MEU prepostioned in a trouble area. The MEU is already underway. Has Organic fire Support and delivery assets, whether USN or USMC.

The MEU has reinforcing units ACB/AAB. Whose 1st echelons can be deployed in 24 hours. And Second & Third Echelons within 72 hours.

The Marine Corps has practiced this for years and has it down to a science.

As far as boarding vessels in time of war. Talk to some of the FAST guys or some of the FR guys they boarded vessels in the gulf in War I and are boarding them now.

That wasn't the only reason for the Marine Corps.

Secure and Maintain Advanced Naval Stations.
Maintain Order and discipline on Naval Vessels
Provide honor guards
Provide Security for Naval Yards
Provide Marksmen
Provide crews to man the great guns
Provide Sentries to maintain discipline on the gun decks.

The Marine Corps provides an amphibous attack threat. The traditional duties of the Corps have continued to evolve past the traditional duties it held upon forming in 1775. But then so have the duties of the unit on which the Continental Marines were based, the Royal Marines.

Admiral Dupont said that a "Vessel without Marines is like a coat without Buttons."
 
While i agree that there should be a marine force i cannot see any point of Force Recon,with all the special forces the US has do you really need another one ?
 
Question: Do even have any idea what type of Missions Force Recon Companies are tasked with?
 
Force Recon provides forward intelligence for the MEF. They are capable of other duties but recon is their primary.

They are Special to an extent and they are Operators but until recently they were not assigned to USSOCOM. And even now only a small number are assigned to SOCOM as a pilot program.

You need to understand that all US SpecOps units have different missions
that are unit specific. Force Recon's is specific to it's role in the Corps.
 
So SF units like Delta,SeaLs etc would not do the job of providing intel for MEF as well as force recon?
 
Different Missions. Force Recon operates solely MEF. They are organic to the Marine Corps not an attachment.
 
The Marines have a tougher basic training program that weeds out people who would not be fit enough to undertake the type of combat such as the island hopping of WWII. It's the "heavy lifting" side of the Armed Forces. Not many of the other forces have the fighting spirit and pride that is hammered into a Marine.
 
Nothing for you to apologize for. Force Recon just does not fit into the General Definition you were using.
 
03USMC said:
Nothing for you to apologize for. Force Recon just does not fit into the General Definition you were using.

Man, I had to catch a plane and miss out on butting into this one, good job 03, Semper Fi.
 
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